Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to securing access to a user account.
Description of the Related Art
The typical electronic mail (email) application allows system administrators unrestricted access to email accounts and credentials of users, including such components as the user name, or login, and password of each user. Typically, the system administrator may have direct permission to view secure access features, such as passwords and other credentials, of the user. Such permission may allow a system administrator to read, edit and delete email messages or other data of any user without the knowledge of the user. Such access also may allow the system administrator to send email messages from an email account of a user even without the permission of the user, which may give the appearance to recipients that the user has sent the email message.
One need is for apparatus, methods, and systems which may control the credentials of users in a manner, which may prevent system administrators from misusing account permissions as well as reducing the threat of other, unauthorized access. This need and others may apply not just to email accounts but to other types of data, including financial, credit, and retail accounts, and account types such as instant messaging and Internet Protocol Telephony (IP Phone) that are secured from access by parties other than a user.